This book is designed to help school leaders critically examine what they should expect from students, how they will know when students have achieved those expectations, and how to design and implement instruction to ensure that every student achieves agreed-upon goals. It asserts that leaders are first and foremost teachers. Chapter 1, "Teaching…

Advantages of using classroom observation as another measure of teacher performance include: (1) It is applicable to jobs where performance measures based on outcomes are hard to develop or where outcomes cannot be assigned to an individual person; (2) It ensures that important aspects of performance that go beyond measured outcomes, such as how…

Describes a pilot project in the schools of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), where the model of teachers-as-researchers encourages teachers to explore aspects of their own teaching and question their practices. It is seen as a form of professional development allowing teachers to develop their own theories and enhance their teaching skills. (MD)

In successful schools, teams of teachers meet regularly to examine student work through assessment and change their instructional practice accordingly to get better results. Staff developers should advocate simple but effective improvement mechanisms. The paper discusses what many improvement plans do wrong and recommends systematically reviewing…

Four papers address issues related to affective competencies needed by teachers of visually handicapped students. In "Role of the Home and Parent in Enhancing Self-Concept," T. Galloway, a parent, describes her experiences in coping with her multiply handicapped child's disabilities and in helping him to feel good about himself. C. Leonard…

This book discusses various pay and compensation initiatives in use nationwide, highlighting: (1) How Are Teachers Compensated?" (current status of teacher compensation and the changing context of teaching); (2) "What Have We Learned from Attempts at Change?" (three approaches to compensating teachers, recent short-lived reform…

Technology education planners must evaluate, change, and modify content to match rapid international advancements. Verification of seen and unseen factors that would improve technology education output is possible through periodic assessment of student learnability competence. The ultimate tool in researching student learnability is the assessment…

This document describes Rhode Island's School Accountability for Learning and Teaching (SALT) process. It defines SALT's vision, outlines Article 31 (which requires schools to engage in self-study and goal setting and sets rigorous requirements for schools), and explains how SALT concepts mirror and respond to Article 31 demands. SALT's vision is…

This book is a result of a study on best practices used by teachers. The author presents a comprehensive discussion of how successful teachers handle classroom management and details strategies increasing student achievement, teaching for retention and transfer, assessing student understanding, and more. Features include: (1) Real-life classroom…

This 60-minute VHS videotape of a U.S. Department of Education Satellite Town Meeting focuses on the future of learning in U.S. schools and what it will take to create challenging, exciting, high performing schools. It explains that there cannot be excellent learning without excellent teaching. The 1985 National Teacher of the Year co-hosts this…

The development of an evaluation schema for school personnel must be based on the following stipulations: time, adequate financing, and external validation of techniques and methodologies. In planning an evaluation program, three questions dominate the scene throughout the literature. First, what shall be evaluated? Possible variables which can be…

The Center for Educational Policy and Management at the University of Oregon has developed a professional development term for improving teaching skills of secondary school teachers. The content of the program has been drawn from two major categories of instructional research: (1) classroom management and organizational strategies that promote and…

Effective teacher evaluation is at the core of improving the quality and value of education and principals bear the responsibility of implementing a teacher evaluation program that helps develop highly qualified teachers and promotes high academic standards. In this easy-to-use handbook, the authors offer a fresh, innovative look into teacher…

This information kit describes the importance of having skilled and well-prepared teachers in all American classrooms. Section 1, "Why We Must Invest in Good Teaching," explains that "Good Teaching Makes a Difference." Section 2, "The Current State of Teaching in America: Five Barriers to Increasing Student…

An overview of the field of adult education is presented, and the nature of adult learners and eight basic instructional modes are discussed. The focus is skills that make people better teachers and the intended audience is college professors, continuing education instructors outside the formal education setting, and students of higher education.…